When There's a Will, There's a Way
by brunette-lady23
Summary: A sweet oneshot. Response to a challenge. PreDMC. What if COTBP ended slightly differently? WE.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean.

**Author's Note: **This one-shot is in answer to a challenge. It's short and sweet. Please read and review! I hope you enjoy!

**When There's a Will, There's a W****ay**

Elizabeth Swann sat down on the sand, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. The beach was her favourite place to sit and think. The gentle lapping of the waves calmed her and the sand felt wonderful beneath her feet.

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here?" asked a deep and familiar voice from behind her.

Startled, she turned and saw Will Turner walking over, grinning adorably at her.

"Will!" she exclaimed, breaking into a smile of her own. She pushed herself up off the sand and moved towards him, momentarily forgetting about the unevenness of the ground. She'd only taken a couple of steps before her shoe heel had gotten stuck in the sand, causing her to stumble forward with a squeal.

She squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the impact, but instead she found herself falling into a strong chest, as a pair of arms encircled her waist. She cracked an eye open and found herself looking up into a pair of dark brown eyes. She immediately blushed at their closeness.

"That was lucky," said Will, softly.

"It was," replied Elizabeth, blushing some more.

Will grinned and lifted a hand to push some of her hair behind her ear. Elizabeth shivered at his touch and her eyes fluttered closed. He slowly lowered his head and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Her hands moved to rest on his chest and she stepped into him, pressing herself as close to his warmth as she could. Will tightened his hold on her waist as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

Suddenly sense returned and Elizabeth gently pushed at his chest. "W-Will…we can't…d-do this…" she said, trying to avoid looking into his eyes.

Will frowned and loosened his hold on her slightly, though not enough for her to be able to move away completely. "Why? Don't you want-"

"No!" she interrupted. "I do! You have no idea how much I want to!"

"Then what's wrong?" asked Will, thoroughly confused.

Elizabeth took a deep shuddering breath and moved her hands to his chest again, clutching at his shirt before raising her tear-filled eyes to his. "I-I'm so sorry Will…but we can't be seen like this."

Will's heart leapt into his throat and he drew her closer again, not willing to release her in case he lost her all together. "What? I don't understand. We have no reason to hide."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No Will! You must understand! There is something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

Elizabeth looked down again. "The date for my wedding to Commodore Norrington has been decided."

Will's eyes widened. "What?"

Elizabeth looked up, just as a tear leaked from her eye and slipped down her cheek. "M-My father has just told me that my promise still stands and that I need to uphold it." Will's face paled. "I am _so_ sorry Will!"

Will took a step back and released her completely. He stared at her, looking completely flabbergasted. "You still have to marry him?" he asked, hoping he had somehow misheard. He couldn't have heard correctly. She couldn't be marrying him, not when he had just told her he loved her.

Elizabeth nodded. She felt her heart break as Will closed his eyes, obviously heart broken too. She stepped towards him but he moved back out of her reach. Her tears doubled and she bowed her head, wondering why fate had to be so cruel to them. What had they done to really deserve this? Why did they have to be torn apart after just admitting their love for one another?

She felt Will move to stand in front of her and she slowly looked up and into his eyes. He reached out and wiped the tears from her right cheek with his thumb. Unable to pull his hand away, he gently cupped her cheek, brushing her skin lightly with his fingers. Elizabeth leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, bringing her own hand up to keep his against her cheek.

"Elizabeth…" said Will softly.

"I can't marry him, Will! I can't!" said Elizabeth, brokenly. "I love you! I want to be with you, no one else!"

"I know you do. I love you too! More than anything," replied Will. She pulled back slightly and he pulled his hand from her cheek, brushing it down her arm until he reached her hand. He intertwined their fingers and managed with some difficulty to say, "But you are promised to another man."

"I won't marry him," said Elizabeth, looking into his eyes. "They can't make me."

"Elizabeth…" groaned Will.

"We could run away," she suggested, clutching his hand tighter. "We could make a new life somewhere else."

"And what about your father? Port Royal is your home," said Will, soberly. "Could you run away from it all…for me?"

"Yes. I don't care about anything else," she said, her tone definite. "I just want to be with you. I'll do anything to make that happen."

Will's heart broke all over again, hearing the complete sincerity in her voice. But he knew he couldn't let her do it. He loved her too much. He would never forgive himself if he took her away from her father.

She gazed up at him and brushed a wisp of his hair away from his eyes, letting her fingers linger on his warm skin. "Take me away from all this, please."

He swallowed and closed his eyes. "I can't."

Elizabeth's face fell and her eyes clouded over with confusion. "W-Will?"

"Can you honestly say you would be happy to leave here? Don't you want your father to give you away at your wedding and for your father to see his grandchildren?" asked Will gently. She sighed as she realised he was right. "I want to do it properly and I don't want to run. Do you understand?"

"I understand," she replied meekly.

"I love you more than anything else in the world. You know that don't you?" he said staring deeply into her eyes.

She stared straight back and then nodded her head. "But it doesn't change anything does it? I'm still marrying Norrington when the man I really want to marry is you."

"I will find a way to stop it I promise," said Will. "I will prove to your father how much I love you. He's not an unfair man. If he knows how much we love each other then I'm sure he won't stand in our way."

"It won't be easy," warned Elizabeth, biting her lip.

"I never said it would be," replied Will. "But I _will_ find a way, Elizabeth. I promise."

"When there's a _Will,_ there's a way, eh?" she giggled.

Will chuckled. "Yep. You could say that."

Elizabeth laughed and beamed up at him. His heart beat quickened once again and he slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her up against him.

"I love you Elizabeth."

She stopped laughing and smiled. "And I love you too Will."

He grinned and leaned closer. "May I kiss you again now?"

Her breath caught in her throat but she managed to nod her head. He lowered his head the rest of the way and pressed his lips to hers; kissing her with all the love he could muster. The kiss seemed to last for hours as neither of them wanted it to end. Eventually he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, breathing in her scent and savouring the memory of her kiss.

"We should get you home," he said softly, when he could manage to speak.

"We could stay a bit longer," she suggested, smiling up at him slyly.

"As much as I would like to, it's getting late and I must get you home," he said, pulling back and taking her hand. "Come on. If I am to convince your father to allow me to marry you, then I need to be on his good side."

Elizabeth laughed and tightening her hold on his hand, let him lead her home.

**A/N: **I hope you liked it. Please **review**!


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